Aldrich Family

For the last few months, I've been working on logging existing episodes of The Aldrich Family. I've logged everything with dates, and am now going through the circulating episodes without dates (that were mostly from the 70's syndication package). A lot of episodes circulate in both a network (or AFRS) version and a syndication version.

My thought is that once this is completed, a concerted effort can be made to start locating episodes that are not widely circulating, and, eventually, complete a log for the series.

I've already found episodes that I have that Hickerson's guide doesn't show, so there is a lot of work to be done with this series.

Does anyone know how many episodes Michelson had included in his syndication package?

Mike Harron has done a lot of work with Aldrich Family and Martin Grams was working on a log at one time.

I do have Martin's research material, but I'm trying to sort out what exists before taking on a full log. I was hoping to expand on the entry in the Hickerson guide and fully correct the number of circulating episodes. I realize I may be going about this backwards after typing this.

I uploaded a few years ago a syndicated copy of Henry's Missing Left Rubber, but my recording was taken off a station that was a little further away so the sound is in fair condition. Is there a cleaner version out anywhere? Thanks.

try this show

Aldrich Family(42-03-05) Henry discovers a rubber shortage.mp3
https://ln.sync.com/dl/6e7caf220/4qm29pn8-cyu6aycr-gbkn9m86-34k4599k

Sorry, that is the recording I posted

I may have something. I'll check this evening.

rodney4130 wrote:For the last few months, I've been working on logging existing episodes of The Aldrich Family.  I've logged everything with dates, and am now going through the circulating episodes without dates (that were mostly from the 70's syndication package).  A lot of episodes circulate in both a network (or AFRS) version and a syndication version.

My thought is that once this is completed, a concerted effort can be made to start locating episodes that are not widely circulating, and, eventually, complete a log for the series.

I've already found episodes that I have that Hickerson's guide doesn't show, so there is a lot of work to be done with this series.

Does anyone know how many episodes Michelson had included in his syndication package?

Did you ever complete the log, Rodney?

I could use some help identifying the correct date for an episode of The Aldrich Family:

The Aldrich Family 48-10-28 Lead In School Play

The episode is from an old cassette from Radio $pirit$ from 1995.
The description on the cassette j-card reads as follows:

Henry's name appears on the school musical cast list next to the leading role, but no one has the heart to tell Henry the truth...especially since he's so pleased that he finally accomplished something!

The episode is sponsored by Jello over NBC and has Meredith Wilson's Talking People on the commercial. I think it is from 1948 because that seems to be the only year that Meredith Wilson's Talking People were featured on the commercials.

The date given on the cassette is 10-28-48 but the online logs, Radiogoldindex, OTRR Logs have that date as being titled "Detention or Basketball Game"

Does anyone have a log or know of one that might provide the answer?
I know the late Stewart Wright had been working on one but I don't if It was ever completed. Others have started logs on the series before but never seemed to finish it as far as i know.

As many of you know this is one of those series that is a mess and has wrong dates for some of the episodes.

Here is a link to the episode if you want to give it a listen:

MP3
https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=XZxKnAXZm4W2HCB6nkR1frUUBjHFWfK57VRk


FLAC
https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=XZM6nAXZremOwTrkKLfSveF5mGuumQF0j3kX


Thank you for reading this! - Harlow

Harlow, my copy of that show is logged in as: Aldrich Family 1949-02-24 Henry Prepares to Sing Lead in the Mikado

Thank you lasombra! I'll put that down as the date for now, unless someone proves it to be Incorrect. That is very possibly the correct date. It seems to be an episode that is has not been widely circulated. OTRR Library lists that date as unavailable and has no episode description. The same goes for Radiogoldindex.
Hopefully it will be a new episode for some people.

That date matches this newspaper clipping https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90639947/radio-listings/

I've managed to determine a date every Aldrich Family show except one: Sidewalk Graffiti Causes Trouble for Henry. Has anyone determined a date for it?

Where can I find a list of the most accurate dates so far?

lasombra wrote:Where can I find a list of the most accurate dates so far?

I don't know if there is one. I can help you date particular shows.

I do have the scripts for this series, and have even been able to track down some of the Kate Smith scripts with Aldrich material, but I haven't gotten much further along than that. It sounds like BobbyP may have already tackled some of the work?

Do you have a log of existing shows, Rodney?

lasombra wrote:Do you have a log of existing shows, Rodney?

I do not. There are enough episodes circulating from that 70's syndication package, that I feel like I need to create a log with the first few lines of each episode before that can be done, and I haven't worked on that yet.

I can confirm, at least from the scripts I've physically perused, that the episodes did not have titles.

OTRR used to have a First Lines section. It's not there anymore.

Ezra Stone returned as Henry on November 9, 1945 (according to an ad from the Paducah Sun Democrat that I can't post here).

lasombra wrote:OTRR used to have a First Lines section. It's not there anymore.

I was wrong. The First Lines are at http://www.otrr.org/?c=first

There are 116 episodes listed there!

rodney4130 wrote:Ezra Stone returned as Henry on November 9, 1945 (according to an ad from the Paducah Sun Democrat that I can't post here).

November 2, 1945, actually.

I guess no surprise that they ran the ad a week late in Paducah. I've started logging episodes based off of the scripts and should hopefully have some results to share in some form soon. Right now it's a spreadsheet.

I cobbled together some Aldrich Family documents.

- Aldrich Family First Lines - document with the initial show structure and first three lines of character dialogue for every unique episode available at the OTRR Library and Archive.org

- Aldrich Family Audio Files - spreadsheet documenting every audio file available at the OTRR Library and Archive.org

- Aldrich Family audio transcriptions - text files generated using Whisper/OpenAI, containing rough transcriptions for every unique episode available at the OTRR Library and Archive.org

- Aldrich Family Episode Log - document with plot summaries for each broadcast date as mentioned in digitized newspapers and online sources

I don't know where 'Aldrich Family xx-xx-xx (xxx) Sidewalk Graffiti Causes Trouble for Henry.mp3' belongs either.

It appears that we've duplicated our efforts. I have all of the scripts taken from microfilm at the Library of Congress and have 322 episodes logged so far with date, episode title on the script (if any), first few lines of dialogue and any other notable information.